South Jersey Companies' Intubation Boxes Aid In Coronavirus Fight

Two South Jersey companies have come together to create a new type of protective device for health care workers battling the coronavirus.

Pearlman Designs in Voorhees and Ascalon Studios in West Berlin worked together to create “intubation boxes,” clear, Plexiglas containers that limit medical workers’ exposure to airborne droplets during intubation. Intubation is when a tube is inserted into a patient’s body for ventilation or other procedures.

Dr. Adam Glasofer, chief innovation officer of the Virtua Center for Innovation, worked with the two companies on the invention, ultimately creating more than 100 intubation boxes, according to the health system. Ten of those boxes are being used in Virtua’s five hospitals.

“ICU teams are finding great value in the boxes,” Glasofer said. “They provide a sense of comfortability during procedures.”

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Glasofer and his fellow Virtua clinicians tested and refined the initial prototype, and made recommendations that helped determine the final design.

“For an unbiased, outsider perspective, it’s important to look to professionals beyond the health care industry for viable solutions,” Glasofer said.

One such professional was David Ascalon, a Cherry Hill artist who specializes in stained-glass and sculpture.

“If you work with your hands and know the tricks of the trade, you can do anything,” Ascalon said. “It’s gratifying to help the people who help save lives.”

He was able to work with his 17-year-old grandson, Zaiden Ascalon, on the project. Like other high school seniors and teens nationwide, the aspiring filmmaker found himself with more unstructured time than he could have ever imagined earlier in the year.

“All the things I had been looking forward to — my final choir concert, prom, graduation — they all just went away,” Zaiden Ascalon said. “But I’m glad to be part of something that is helping people all the way from Massachusetts to Florida. I remember learning about World War II and the ways everyday people stepped up to serve their country. This feels like my contribution to the war against this virus.”

The Ascalons and their collaborators — namely Bob Loch and Seth Pearlman — are donating their time for this project, and have had business associates volunteer to deliver the boxes to hospitals along the East Coast free of charge. Major corporations and local businesses alike have donated materials and equipment, and grassroots fundraising on Facebook has helped to absorb any additional expenses.

“You do what you can do,” David Ascalon said. “Everyone can help out in one way or another.”

Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know